Donkeystone Brewery to relocate business

AN award-winning brewery is on the move but last orders hasn’t been called on its Saddleworth operation.

In fact, Donkeystone Brewing Company is re-locating just half a mile from its current Greenfield headquarters at Boarshurst Business Park.

Plans to switch premises last year had to be put on hold due to the pandemic.

Donkeystone new premises

Now, Donkeystone is gearing up to transfer its operation to units at Wellington Industrial Estate off Wellington Road.

As well as his re-starting his micro-brewery and distillery, owner and director Stephen James plans to open a new tap room, serving food and drink, plus introduce an artisan bakery.

Notice of intent has been sent to residents as part of a pre-planning application consultation.

The letter states: “The unit already has planning permission for industrial purposes which can lawfully operate 24/7.


“Donkeystone is proposing to retain the existing industrial use of the ground floor of the unit and utilise this space for a microbrewery and micro distillery. They will also provide tours of the brewery operations.

“The focus of this consultation is the mezzanine level where Donkeystone is looking to open a brand new tap room (drinking establishment) where people can enjoy drinks brewed on site, eat food prepared on the premises and purchase fresh artisan baked goods made in the unit for consumption off the premises.”

In July 2019, Oldham planning committee rejected a retrospective planning application from Donkeystone to change industrial use of a unit floorspace at its Boarshurst base into a tap room Some local residents had complained of noise nuisance.

After the submission of amended plans the tap room re-opened in December 2019 but with reduced hours.

Now Donkeystone say: “Investigative work has been undertaken to inform the planning application, with particular attention given to noise and highways matters to ensure the proposals do not have an unacceptable impact on neighbouring properties and businesses.

“It is proposed the tap room, restaurant and artisan bakery will be open between midday and 11pm on Sundays to Thursdays and 12pm to 1am on Friday and Saturdays.

“Customer access to the taproom will be via a door on the south west elevation of the building, facing the Tesco service yard and away from any nearby homes.”

Donkeystone say the brewery and distillery could operate 24 hours a day because of the area’s industrial usage.

However, it is anticipated the main hours of operation (including deliveries) will typically be 9am to 5pm, Mondays to Fridays and potentially between 9am and 1pm on Saturdays.

Donkeystone opened in September 2017 and quickly developed a glowing reputation for its beers, craft ales and stouts including: Bray, Bad Ass Blonde, Javanilla, Cotton Clouds craft lager and Ferris Muler IPA.

28 Replies to “Donkeystone Brewery to relocate business”

  1. SERIOUSLY????? These clowns spend two years fighting local residents in Greenfield, trying to open a noisy bar on an industrial estate, and now they’ve failed they’re going to start all over again in a different part of the village. Another battle to lose.

    What’s the point? Why don’t they just open a micro brewery on a High Street or somewhere that’s designed for late night drinking, rather than annoy different Greenfield residents. It’s ridiculous.

  2. I live on Wellington Road with my partner and our two young children, we bought this house new because it was on a safe quiet estate, and now they want to open at bar until 1am on Friday and Saturdays? Not on my watch they won’t.

    1. Well it was a nice quite area before they build all the pathetic over priced toy town houses on wellie road then a influx of traffic to boot. I wonder how many incomers will be oppose to this opening.

    2. The kingfisher pub is literally next door (drinking establishment), the welly pub at the top of the road (drinking establishment) and A TESCO WHICH OPERATES MOST OF THE DAY. But a micro brewery that serves food (serves food, same as Scona across the road) is going to ruin greenfield. Who is paying these people ??

    3. Hey guess what….The Wellington, Railway and Kingfisher all have licences to serve alcohol until times between 12am and 1:30am.
      Funny I don’t see a community action group being set up to complain about this… Double standards.
      Some people just like to be moaners don’t they.
      Think on.

      1. Kingfisher is open til 10pm
        Wellington is open til 11pm
        Railway is open til midnight.

        All of the bars in Uppermill bar Muse close before midnight.

        All were open before many people moved into the area.

        Tesco is open til 10pm.

        The industrial units hardly create any noise pollution, as im sure the brewery won’t, other than the tap room being open until 1am.

        Id be interested to see whereabouts in the village you live for you to have such strong views of how this will impact the residents in the immediate surrounding area.

  3. This is a quiet residential area, the planning application will be opposed vigorously by local residents, plus I doubt Oldham council will want the death of drinkers being reversed over by a Tesco Delivery truck on their conscious! What a silly proposal.

    1. Greenfield Resident. It is not a quiet residential area. There are numerous cars, trucks and pedestrians up and down Wellington Road all day and night, many businesses, industrial units and Tesco (which you were probably opposed to as well).

      Why would people be run over by a Tesco delivery driver? People walk past the unit all the time (even those who have been out at any of the other pubs in Greenfield – some of which also have licences to serve alcohol until at least midnight…). What type of clientele do you think a brewery tap attracts?
      I think you need to do a bit more research – see Magic Rock Brewery in Huddersfield as a perfect example of location and set up. A restaurant, artisan bakery and tap room to open along side the brewery is a fantastic addition to Saddleworth. It’s the way forward. The Council allows more houses to be built so they need to allow for the infrastructure to be built along with it.

      Fresca in Delph is a great example too of a business IN A BUSINESS PARK near residential properties that sells food and alcohol and no-one has been run over there. Such a silly argument.

      In the words of Bill Heslop “You can’t stop progress”. We need to move with the times.
      How about trying to support your local business instead of being such a miserable nimby. Especially in a time where so many businesses in the country have been crippled by the covid crisis, your local businesses need your support and encouragement more than ever.

      The way some people are carrying on about this you would think that they were trying to open a strip club in a church! Get a grip.

      When the tap room does open up you should pop in for a quiet pint – I think you’d be pleasantly surprised.

  4. This is obviously the same people who were against Donkeystone the last time they had trouble with the less open people in the area. Wellington Road is rife with teenagers running amok, a tesco where people come and go and a pub and cafe that serves alcohol near by… but of course a brewery with a tap can’t be accepted. Get a grip this can only bring in money and jobs for the area in a very hard time for the industry and area… cheers Donkeystone can’t wait to see you in the tap!

  5. What’s the problem there are five boozers between the station and the clarence in Greenfield as well as the rugby club. I hope they do really well all my friends in saddleworth will be there. After all it is an industrial estate. Get a life all you nimbys.

  6. i’m all for it! let them bring some business into the area, god knows we could use a place to drink and feel safe after the year we’ve had. Good luck to them

  7. Very concerning that they would put one entrance/ exit near the tesco lorries… and another backing onto a canal path – not sure what that back entrance offers except more risk to human life

    1. don’t go out again i’m sure your house connects to a road and it could possibly lead to a cliff if you walk far enough… not worth a risk to your life

    2. Have you ever been to Amsterdam or Venice…? Oh hang on, the Kingfisher is on the canal too is it not? Just stay at home in your little cotton wool bubble then and leave the grown ups to it!

  8. You have to be a complete moron to buy a over priced toy town house next to a INDUSTRIAL UNIT that has been open 11 years then complain and expect it to be quite. Would you rather have a engineering factory working 24 hour a day machining noisy material all day and night there instead? I’ll be happily having a few pints there.

  9. Sounds very threatening in their wording, ‘ we can open 24/7’ in other words, accept their terms, or have 24/7 noise

    1. I think you’ll find it is called ‘stating a fact’. The unit has always had 24 hour usage. Quite a lot of industrial units work long hours, even from back in the days of the cotton mills. Just because the permission is there for 24 hour use doesn’t mean they’ll be manufacturing 24 hours a day. Should they be made to move out into the middle of the moors to run their business instead? I feel sad for you that you find this wording threatening.
      As for the noise – don’t even go there… you get more noise from the teenagers up and down Welli Rd in the evening and on weekends. Go away.

      1. Do you live on Wellington Road? You seem very clued up with how residents are affected by businesses on their own street…

  10. People moaning about noise:
    THERE IS A 24 HOUR FACTORY ACROSS THR ROAD
    THERE IS A PUB NEXT DOOR
    THERE IS A TESCO TAKING CUSTOMERS AND DELIVERIES MOST OF THE DAY/NIGHT NEXT DOOR
    ITS OVERRUN WITH TEENAGERS ON BIKES ROUND THERE ANYWAY
    ITS ON AN INDUSTRIAL ESTATE? DO OPPOSING GREENFIELD RESIDENTS NEED TO LOOK UP THE MEANING OF ‘INDUSTRIAL ESTATE’ ONCE AGAIN?
    Boring hell..

  11. 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE – GET IN!!!! At last we’ll have a legal late night drinking place. Bring on the Friday 24 hour pub crawl lads. Let’s kick off in the Granby, get tanked in the Commie then smash it at Donkeystone until 1am, followed by a lock in at the Billy Goat before going back to Donkeystone at 9am on Saturday morning. Love it ? ? ?

  12. This business will help greenfield survive! Lots of areas die a deaf when local pubs close, also when industrial areas become vacant,ruthless house builders buy the land cheep an slap as many houses on their,would you prefer that in your village it’s slowly already happening , so your quiet ? village will disappear anyway!

  13. Those who are saying “have to be a moron to buy a house next to the industrial estate” are clearly those who can’t afford to. The majority of residents are over 60 who have spent alot of money to live there and spend their retirement im sure if it was your parents you wouldnt want this for them. Sachets that were in before were not serving alcohol until 1am and noise was minimal. Some residents aren’t opposed to it opening but the 1am licence is ridiculous, 11pm is fine like most of the other’s. The “comer inners” always makes me laugh. People who grew up in saddleworth automatically think they claim the whole village, every single person moved here at some point in time ?

  14. I live on Wellington Road and I think it’s all fine and great news that Donkeystone Brewery will be opening here. Actually my only gripe is the upvc company across the road – don’t have a problem with the company but I just wish they would spruce up the building. It’s becoming an eyesore! Don’t see anyone complaining about that ?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *